"How long's the wait", we asked over the phone. "3 HOURS". Lol...they might as well respond with "TOMORROW". The wait is ridiculous if you're looking to sit at the sushi bar---but we live close enough to stop by and write our name down--and return. Put it this way...if we are too cheap and lazy to drive to Koi's in Seal Beach, this will be the spot for us to hit. It's the most consistently good and not outrageously overpriced place in the South OC area. Rules: DO's ~ Eat at the sushi bar ~Do order their salmon, yellow tail, sweet shrimp, soft shell crab, Munk Fish liver sashimi. It's fresh, and it comes in generous portions -Do order their grilled yellow tail cheek....I'm not a fan of cooked fish, my bf is---and both of us enjoy this dish -Do allow your sushi chef (especially Ono) to surprise you with a recommendation DON'Ts -Do not expect to be awed by ridiculous concoctions other places like to call sushi rolls. -Do not go here and sit at the table order their lunch boxes---because this definitely isn't where the value add is -Do not sit at the table, and expect that you'll be served fresh fish/sushi. -Do not be thrown off by the amount of "white" people, as many ignorant people seem to think that that's a sign of bad judgement. I won't comment on the boxes----but fresh fish is fresh fish---and you don't need your grandpa from whatever part of Asia telling you stories of what fresh fish in order to validate that. Altogether...it's a pretty straightforward place. Good quality, simple fish. That's why many people come here and wait---because OC is saturated with places that like to make complicated rolls named after local cities. Come here with that mindset....and you won't be disappointed. read more

Hands down to FRESH and AFFORDABLE sashimi! Based on that alone, I'm willing to round up a 3.5 star-review to a 4-star. Their sushi rolls, however, were not as equally impressive. We had ninja (spider roll), spicy tuna, and rainbow. None of them stood out. We are huge fans of chicken karaage, so we also ordered Taiko's famous and most raved-about sesame chicken. This appetizer was a disappointment. Though the portion was generous for $6, the chicken was not really crispy and hot, but soggy, and greasy. Customer service was friendly and attentive. The wait was horrendous. We were told 45 minutes but it ended up around 1 hour and 15 minutes. I would recommend if you are hungry and want Japanese food, go somewhere else. read more

I was researching the Irvine sushi scene, and read some raving reviews about Taiko. At Yelp and other websites... "Best sushi in Irvine!" etc. Hmm! Seriously, I do respect the opinions of my fellow Yelpers, who are generally objective people and have good criteria. I went to Taiko, and I tried to like and enjoy this restaurant... But... oh Gosh... ARGH. I seriously have -NO IDEA- what you guys liked about Taiko??? To me, the self-proclaimed specialist in Japanese culinary arts, this is perhaps one of the worst sushi restaurants I ever visited. The sushi chefs are Japanese, not Chinese or Korean. And they are great people, very friendly, with a pleasant personality... but sorry- it is NOT ENOUGH to make me forget or disregard the totally amateur quality of their sushi... I felt as if they were hiding behind the opaque refrigerator and hurried to chop the fish in pieces as if it's something disgusting... No respect! In addition to not being of a sushi grade quality, the fish was served to us lukewarm... their refrigerator is broken or something? The chefs made sloppy looking appetizers and salads which felt like thrown (or slapped) into the plate, rather than neatly arranged; soaked into too much ponzu sauce... anyway, zero attention to detail. Most of their sauces and cut rolls are so heavy and mayonaise-laden that my stomach felt overwhelmed and revolted against me... I always give a second chance to any restaurant, before slamming it with my heavy word. Because I know that any of us can be moody at times. So I went there a second time; but felt exactly the same way... I hate to give bad reviews, and I know it affects a restaurant's business. But the other yelpers have the right to know. Plus, clearly these Taiko guys have enough faithful followers and fans- their business will survive my criticism. read more

This has been my family's go to sushi place for years and they have such fresh sushi for a really good price, but would highly recommend sitting at the sushi bar for the best service and sushi. My favorite is the sweet shrimp and the toro is so mouth watering. This place is definitely an Irvine treasure! read more

This is it guys. I've found it. The biggest joke on Yelp. I have no clue how this place has decent reviews, because this was one of the worst experiences I've had at a restaurant in recent memory. Where do I begin? After being seated (table for 2), it took 10-15 minutes for someone to come ask us what we wanted to drink. We ordered the extremely complicated drink called 'water', which apparently needs to be created in a lab using beakers and cauldrons. Because it sure wasn't quick. We almost ended up leaving, but decided to stick it out. Ended up ordering the Sesame Chicken, Salmon Teriyaki, the Dynamite Roll, and the Ninja Roll. Yes, I'm aware I'm not 'supposed to' order a roll at Taiko, but if it seems decent on the menu and it's on the menu, I'm going to order it. Because it's on the menu, and in theory if it sucks, it wouldn't be on the menu. The Sesame Chicken was crappy, chewy chicken ladled in grease. Like, I'd have to leave my hair unwashed for at least 3 millennia to get this amount of grease. Then add some more grease from 17 local taquerias. Sure, it's only $6 or $7, but it tasted like junk too. We ended up eating about 1/4 of a piece each, then leaving the rest. Vomit. The Ninja Roll features fried softshell crab and basically nothing else besides rice and seaweed. Easily one of the worst rolls I've had in my life. It features basically 1 ingredient and you can't do it right? Come on. The Dynamite Roll was decent. I think it was spicy yellowtail, and even though it looked more like spicy tuna, it was the most passable part of the meal, being a close runner up to the water we had. Service, as mentioned, was slow. The server was polite, but when we said we didn't want to take the leftover sesame chicken home, she scowled, walked away, and a NEW SERVER CAME TO FINISH OUR TABLE OFF. Uhhh...did that offend you? Were you the cook? Okay then. It's hard to me to dislike a place. Like, really hard. But Taiko was awful awful awful. DON'T COME HERE. read more

For those complaining about the wait, our wait time on a Wednesday at 8pm was 0 minutes. But that was pretty much the only good thing about this night. ==Service== We were seated and the waitress' service was borderline rude. No "hi", just a menu dumped in front of us, then running off without asking if we had any questions or drink requests. Ok, so its not the first time I've had this sort of curt service in asian eateries, except this wasn't those hole-in-the-wall places, its a full on restaurant with a hostess, busboys, etc. Next, we had to flag down a waiter because ours seemed to just have forgotten us. When she finally found her way back to our table, my GF had a question about their sushi. The waitress literally answered her question, then walked away again! I thought she was here to take our order but apparently she thought otherwise. When our food was brought out, plates were just shoved in my face with no attempt to place it on the cleared table area in front of me. I thought it was going to hit my face, it was that close no lie! The plate wasn't hot and her hands weren't packed holding 4 other dishes, food just shoved inches from my face. I'm not a picky person when it comes to service but this was just dismal. Water was never re-filled. We were never checked on. I've worked in the food industry and she could have been having a bad day, but it wasn't even busy, she had plenty of co-workers. ==Food== I ordered the Combo 4 which comes with teriyaki beef, sesame chicken, sashimi. With horrible service aside, I do not understand how people rate this 4 stars and manage to wait over an hour for this food. The beef was tough and flavorless. It was cooked medium and had a light pink center but was still tough, which means low grade meat. I didn't expect Kobe or filet, but its probably the cheapest cuts they could find and mask with sauce. The sashimi did not taste very fresh and only had 2 slices of red snapper and tuna each. Residual water from the iceberg lettuce in the center of the dish soaked everything else and maybe contributed to the tasteless beef. The rest of the dish was rounded out with mayonnaise dip and canned green beans. The sesame chicken was the only redeeming part of this combo. It was soft and flavorful inside with a fried outside. But with that said, its hard to mess up anything fried. I'm still trying to figure out what makes this "sesame chicken" and japanese but whatever sells i guess! It's part of almost all their combos. How I got bamboozled into paying $18 for this dish is amazing. We also ordered spicy tuna and dynamite (spicy yellowtail) rolls. You can see my attached picture. I used to be a sushi chef but still will eat the occasional sushi buffet so I'm not overly picky. But check those bad boys out! The chef tried to hide his lackadaisical rolling skills by placing the open portions against each other until my GF exposed him! Haha. Maybe they are going cheap and trying to cut 3 rolls from a sheet of seaweed instead of 2 or something but it obviously isn't closed. On the flipside, maybe the chef tried to stuff it full...but either way you look at it, presentation should have been preserved which is why sushi carries a premium cost. Anyone can "roll" sushi, this looks like something my 4 year old niece would have made. The taste was lacking too. I couldn't distinguish which was tuna and which was yellowtail because all I tasted was their spicy sauce. Miso soup came with both entrees. No complaints here, but its hard to mess up mixing miso base with water. Do I sound sour? Yes, this place sucks! My first 1-star review. read more

Taiko - Combo #4 - beef teriyaki, seasame chicken and sashimi (dismal amount) $18 - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

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First of all the lines at this place are ridiculous! it's always so packed especially if you go at lunch people usually line up way before they open, but the food is pretty good. We usually just get it to-go and we live pretty close to everything still tastes pretty fresh. The combos are usually our go to because the portions are a pretty good size. I used to get the sushi here, but I feel like the quality of it isn't what it used to be, but it's still good. The chicken combo is my favorite food wise here. The customer service is really good though, everyones really nice and it has that authentic home feeling to it. The waitresses are always so sweet. The last time we got a to go order they forgot the sushi with our order, but they were sincerely apologetic and told us that it would be noted under my phone number so if I let them know the next time I come in they would grab it for me. Overall, pretty good food, not my go to for sushi , but everything is good, just don't forget to come early ! Especially if you have a big group. read more

I've been here 3 times. All 3 times, I felt Taiko was very mediocre. The presentation of certain sushi plates can be very beautiful, but the actual quality and service is what lacks. Each and every time, the service was subpar. One waitress for an area of 20. And every table has a request. The long wait times are justified by the low costs. Taiko is definitely a bang for the buck place where you will have your tummy full before you leave. But had both the quality and service been better, I'd put 5 stars on the ratings. read more

45 minutes wait they told me. Ok understandable. I get seated, then I tell about 10 waiters that we are ready to order. they tell me to hold on. 10 minutes later a old lady comes (all the waitresses here are old) then starts taking my order. then while i wasnt finished with my order, she said hold on, took my menu, gave it to other table, and came back after another 10 minutes to take my order. This place needs better waiters and waitresses as these non english speaking 80 year olds are not going to cut it. Oh, after I finished my coke, i asked for a refill then the lady was all "no free refill ok?" and didnt even ask me if i still wanted it or not, and just walked away. This place has so much potential because of their food, but their service is like almost non existant. i should have left 0 tip. Food is amazing but the experience is not worth it. I thought a lot of these reviews were over exagerating because most yelp reviewers do, but holy priest their service was so bad. read more

Taiko is, by far, my favorite sushi restaurant in Orange County. Located in a small plaza in Irvine, the restaurant itself is fairly large and carries a pleasant ambiance with a lot of wood fixtures throughout. I highly recommend that diners eat at the sushi bar, if possible. The wait can be quite lengthy during dinner time and it's usually much longer if you're waiting to be seated at the sushi bar, but it's absolutely worth the wait. I think that one of the best parts about the sushi and sashimi at Taiko, other than the taste, is the portions that they give you. Many other sushi restaurants that I've been to have been pretty stingy with their servings but I'm always pleasantly surprised with how generous the chefs are with their cuts of sushi and sashimi. This has made me a bit sketchy in the past because experience has shown that larger cuts of sashimi often equate to poorer quality, however, this is definitely not the case at Taiko. Their selection in fish tastes absolutely fresh and delectable. Obvious can't-lose choices for sashimi/sushi are the salmon, hamachi, and tuna. But the standout item at Taiko is the toro. I absolutely recommend - correction, INSIST - that anyone dining at Taiko try the toro. It's a little pricier but definitely worth it. The toro quite literally puts me at a loss for words. With one bite, the taste and freshness bathes all of your taste buds into blissful oblivion. It's one of those moments that make you close your eyes and puts a cheesy smile on your face... or at least it does for me. I love when food can do that to you. Overall, if you can arrive early or later in the evening (although you run the risk of them running out of certain fish), or can stand an exercise in patience during dinnertime, go to Taiko and seat yourself at the sushi bar. Order your choice of sushi/sashimi, the toro and maybe a bottle of sake and enjoy! Average price per person: $20 - 35. read more

Taiko - Sashimi: salmon, hamachi, TORO! - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Fish or Foul? Sitting on the toilet at 3am as I'm starting to write this review, as I wait for my next wave of stomach pain that will eventually result in explosive diarrhea... We usually don't bother reviewing highly reviewed places unless we have something new to add. Having read mixed reviews on yelp (seems polarized between "best sushi" and "eh... just average") for this place, we finally decided to try the place out after seeing the line always out the door while frequenting A&J. Talk about a bad decision. Since it was our first time there, we decided to try out the menu and chose to sit at the table instead of the bar. We know that it is common practice for sushi joints to serve inferior fish for the tables, what we didn't anticipate was possibility of being served spoiled fish. Based on the recommendations by our fellow yelpers, we went with the sushi + sashimi and sesame chicken combo. Since John is a huge fan of soft shell crab, we also had an order of the deep fried goodness. We eventually added an order of yellowtail (hamachi) sushi when we discovered that our combo sushi didn't come with any. First up, the soft shell crab. As the main ingredient in spider rolls, the crab is usually covered with tempura batter and served with tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu). At Taiko, the soft shell crab just simply deep fried and served instead with ponzu sauce. It was different from what was expected, but not bad. The miso soup that also came was hot and fresh. Nothing that spectacular or notable, just your average miso from the supermarket. Something warm for the stomach while waiting for the main course to show up. Next, our main plate with sashimi showed up. It was a huge plate, but mostly just covered with iceberg lettuce with some sort of salad dressing as shown in many photos. On one end are green beans with mayonnaise and on the other end is the double fried sesame chicken. In the middle sat 5 slices of tuna on a bed of shredded daikon in a glass bowl. The sesame chicken felt like it was sitting in the fryer for too long. The fowl was seasoned, but unbattered. The numerous pictures are representative, and the dark brown coloring is due to over-frying a naked bird. Not sure why the dish is called sesame chicken, when there isn't a single sesame in sight. Mayin felt the dish tasted Chinese, which should be no surprise as the joint is run by Chinese people. The tuna sashimi was really boring. Clearly freshly thawed (NOT fresh), and the thawing process wasn't even done properly. We understand that not all sushi joints can get fresh fish, but for a joint that gets so many reviews on how "fresh" the fish is, we expected the place to at least know how to thaw the fish correctly. Instead, the fish was mealy and flavorless. Nothing that a bunch of wasabi and soy sauce can't fix! Well, there was something that couldn't be fixed by the disinfecting power of wasabi... the spoiled tuna that was found in our combo sushi. We've had plenty of bad sushi served by Chinese sushi joints in the SG valley, but never have we had actual bad sushi that made us sick (with the exception of Chinese sushi buffets). The sushi combo came with 5 pieces of nigiri: shrimp (ebi), salmon (sake), surf clam (hokkigai), tuna (maguro), and halibut (hirame). There was also a 6-piece standard tuna cut roll (hosomaki). Looking past the neon orange colored salmon and the improperly deveined shrimp, the tuna was a darkish red color indicating oxidization due to improper storage of fish. Mayin took one sniff at the tuna nigiri and declared the fish to be inedible. She still took one small bite with a ton of wasabi and it still wasn't enough to cover up the foul fish taste. John ended up clearing the sushi combo plate, but guess who's still up at 4am writing this yelp review while running between the can? By the time our yellowtail arrived, John was already stuffed from clearing the sushi combo and only had one bite of the also freshly thawed fish. Mayin promptly finished the sushi and we packed up the remains of the greasy chicken and non-Japanese long grain rice. After paying for our $30 tab, we initially decided that the place deserved a 3 star rating due to reasonable pricing and location in a place that is clearly deprived of good sushi (why else would so many people insist that this place serves great sushi?). However, we simply cannot rate this place any higher than 1 star given that fish that deserved to be thrown in the trashcan was served to a customer. If we ever do return, we're sticking to the cooked food. ps. our dogs turned their head away from our breath due to the smell of unfresh fish. they ran for their crates as the spoiled fish exited from John. read more

We've been going her for over 16 years and use to come almost every week. We loved sitting at the sushi bar where the chefs were great and the sushi was awesome . Then they got bought out and so many things have changed. We came this week and they had changed the menu . They totally increase their price and lowered their quality of the sushi. The calamari use to be so good but this time it was terrible. All battered and very little calamari . I was so grossed out that I barely even ate it and refused to take it to go. The baby tuna use to come in 2 pieces and now it's just 1 piece per order . The teas and miso use to be free but now they charge . We understand that theres a lot of inflation going on right now but at least keep the quality of the food the same. Don't get all stingy with what you're serving to us because we know! It's so sad to see this place go down hill . They will be losing a lot of their customers . We will no longer be coming back here. The chefs have changed and so have the staff . It's no longer the Taiko that we once knew. Sadly we will need to look for a new Sushi place. read more

I went on a Tuesday night with my boyfriend and got seated right away. I normally see this restaurant packed on weekend nights so we felt coming here on a week night was a smart choice. As soon as you walk into the restaurant, the Japanese chefs near the door greet you in Japanese, adding to the authentic feel of the restaurant. The overall look of the restaurant is average--very neat and clean, but nothing stands out. Upon being seated, we got the drinks we asked for right away plus a pot of tea. I think the tea is standard for every dining guest. We ordered the #3 "combi" platter and two sides of sushi and it was enough for the both of us. We even had a lot of leftovers to take home. The #3 combi consisted of salmon teriyaki, salad, miso soup, rice, pork, and mixed tempura. It's a big platter and costs about $16 so I'm guessing it's meant to be shared. The staff was okay. We got waters refilled only when we asked for it but we never felt rush. For the price, it's a fairly god restaurant. Next time, we'll be sure to try out the sashimi that everyone seems to rave about. I'd definitely recommend trying this place out if you love sushi and/or Asian food. read more

Best sushi I might have ever had!! We were so lucky to have found a spot at the sushi bar and were blessed to sit next to the most wonderful group of people who helped us order....we ate halibut fin, calamari, monkfish liver, soft shell crab hand roll ALL amazing!!! I can't wait to go back!! One very negative note Shame on the terrible little man who literally insulted us and tried to start a fight with us for having a wonderful time at the bar and finishing our meal too slowly for his appetite ......he told us to move so he could feed himself because it was his regular spot.....I've never experienced a more horrid human......too bad ......but don't let him stop you from enjoying this amazing food honestly the BEST ever!!! read more

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Sesame Chicken Lunch Special Must try Service = A . It seems to me that Japanese restaurants like to emphasize on having their servers be extremely hospitable. Food = A. Portions were more than enough for the price. And it was very delicious. I didn't try their sushi; which is their specialty... Environment = Even though the restaurant was packed, our table felt very spacious and the conversations of other people didn't seem to intrude into our area. It wasn't unbearably loud either. A read more

Taiko, my long time main squeeze, what happened? You are my restaurant old-lady and I have been faithful to you for over 20 years (dined here 100+ times - mostly at lunch). It feels like you have now hit the equivalent of restaurant menopause, to wit: you're looking more than a bit tired and worn out and frankly, at this point, the thrill is gone. Tonight we walked in a 5:15 pm and the place was nearly deserted. [I would say it seemed as if a bomb had gone off in there but given this is a japanese restaurant that kind of pun would be in EXTREMELY poor taste]. Only 3 patrons seated at the sushi bar, and only 2 tables taken in the dining room. Everything was off. Our waitress literally had dementia. She forgot everthing. Tea, water, spoons, bowls, our order, our check... It was actually kind of sad. And note the 'usual' older couple who typically man the entry podium (for the past 20 years) were absent tonight. We had a seafood salad ($12), which though plentiful was apparently assembled by someone who previously flipped burgers. The seafood salad used to be a beautiful tower of freshly cut sashimi artfully piled in a glass bowl with daikon and cucumber slices and topped with some ponzu and perhaps a pinch of dried bonito flakes. What arrived at our table tonight was kind of like expecting a 22 yr old swimsuit model to show up but instead finding you have received a 62 yr old post-menopasual librarian. Simply not appealing. We also got the seafood nabe yaki udon (called Taiko Nabe here: $13.95 - available only at dinner time). What happened to the crab legs which normally are in this dish? We got one small piece of one crab leg, two green-lipped mussels, and some random fish pieces in our nabe. Not what we were used to with this item, which used to be much more generous seafood-wise. We also got a Combo dinner of sushi, sashimi, and sesame chicken ($19.50). The chicken was NOT freshly cooked: we got old room-temp pieces of fried chicken which likely had been sitting around since at least lunch time. And the quality of most of the raw fish (other than the tuna which was fine) was poor. Our ebi piece was old and dried. Wassup with that? And even many of the greens served tonight we're old, wilted, and with browning curling ends. If you are going to use green leaves as a garnish as under our nabe pot - should you not at least use greens which do not have shriveled, browning ends? The whole idea is to make the dish look more appealing, yes? Taiko - I used to lust after you! Your fish parts were so big, fresh, tasty and yes, quite beautiful. I used to look forward to your fish parts and fantasize about our decadent time spent together. But you have suddenly lost it. Now your looking old and dried up. I'm afraid our time is coming to an end. Sorry, but I am trading you in for someone younger and hotter. Thank God there is no such thing as restaurant alimony, as I have been heavily supporting you for 20+ years and no doubt if there was a restaurant divorce court you and your lawyers would now take me to the cleaners - but since there is no such thing I can just say goodbye, Taiko. Goodbye. read more

Taiko is one of the best sushi experiences you will ever have...simple as that. Personally, it is only rivaled by Oishii Sushi in Chestnut Hill, MA. I think for the quality of food, the consistency, as well as the value, there's no better place. I know I know, when you first walk up, you'll probably notice the long line snaking out the front door. But trust me, this isn't like Pink's Hot Dog where you stand in line for two hours to get an overrated meal you could make yourself. Hit up lolli-cup, get some Taiwanese jerky, and hunker down. The quality of the food is top notch, nothing too fancy, just simple fresh food executed well. I usually am one of the idiots waiting in line at 11am on a Saturday, but 8pm on a weeknight will also pay-off with a 10-15 min wait. Also, while the sushi bar is the place to be, always put your name on both lists (table and sushi bar). You can get almost everything they make from the sushi bar sent to your table, plus there's just more room to fit all the great food you're going to order. Lets see, where to begin...well for the two remaining people on this planet who are afraid of trying raw fish...here are some dishes for you 1) Hamachi Kama...oven roasted yellow-tail collar. It takes a good 15-20 minutes to cook, so order in advance. The melt in your mouth yellowtail is broiled to a crisp outside and moist inside served with a side of tomago and ponzu sauce. The portions are hardy and is perfect for someone who need baby steps before diving into the big kids sushi pool. 2) Miso Yaki...I had this for the first time my last trip and it was amazing. My best guess is that it's miso mixed with some sort of terriyaki sauce painted over a white, flaky, buttery fish. I also caught a whiff of sake somewhere along the line but maybe it was just me. While the portion is far from American sized, each bite brings me closer to living in sweatpants instead of jeans. 3) Special #4...now...some out there may say, "oh I can make this at home." Um, no, you can't. Just getting the necessary ingredients together for this dish requires too much work for the average tivo-loving suburbanite. Besides, why go through all the work when someone else can do it for you...lest you're a junior in college trying to impress your first date in four years with a "fancy" dinner. (Dude, make them chocolate souffle...super easy...lots of wow factor) Anyway back to special #4...ok it's essentially a ball, yes ball, of REAL crab meat and avocado, wrapped in salmon and some other white fish, blanketed with a mixture of tobiko and mayo, finished with a little terriyaki, that's been baked. It's also served with some sort of deeply marinated tuna of sorts, which my seafood-phobic friend ate because he thought was "just dark meat." You'll probably need a bowl of rice to help you get through the richness of the dish, which isn't a bad thing. 5) Sesame chicken - this is served in most of the combos dishes but no one will fault you for ordering a combo of only sesame chicken. I don't really recall ever finding any sesame on my plate, but no matter, it's SO good. There's literally a crust of crispiness protecting a moist and juicy piece of chicken with every bite. I don't know how they do it. If I did, I'd steal the recipe, and open my very own Belgian Fries/Taiko Sesame Chicken/Green Tea/White Chocolate Ice Cream/Hawaiian Shaved Ice/Ramen house on a beach somewhere. 6) Fried Calamari - I can't imagine ever eating Italian style calamari ever again. Somehow ponzu sauce is infinitely better than dousing fried calamari with Prego. I could go on about how beautifully perfect the calamari is fried, how it's not too greasy, how the calamari is nowhere near rubbery, how the bed of mandoline cut cucumbers add a nice freshness to the dish. Nuff said? nuff said. ...and i just realized i reached the 5000 character max so I won't say much about what I would order if I was able to hire a personal assistant to wait in line for me for the sushi bar except... 1) special cucumber roll (for all you atkins dieters out there) 2) rainbow roll (remember...REAL CRAB MEAT...plus keep an eye out for that elusive salmon/shrimp piece...it's not always there but if it is...) 3) toro nigiri (fat = flavor) 4) salmon nigiri = they top it with sweet onions, shaved bonito, scallions and ponzu...mmmmmmmm 5) scallop nigiri (sometimes they even have fresh whole scallops) 6) ninja roll...biggest ninja roll around...we're talking hockey pucks people 7) seafood salad...yellow tail, salmon, and tuna all in a bowl with ponzu sauce and sweet onions...best bang for your buck read more

Take a second to look at my profile pic and you'll see I'm not messing around. I went here for the first time with my fiance (it was her 2nd time) and what a disappointment it was in every respect, especially given the hype. We ordered bento boxes (terriyaki beef and chicken) - they were dry, small portions (the beef was 1 tiny little steak, it looked so sad on the plate), and the food took 30 minutes to receive. They brought out our rice right after we ordered and it got cold. Thankfully the waitress replaced our rice when the food was served, which would have been find except that the food was horrible. Maybe it's because I live in LA where great Japanese food is always just around the corner, but Taiko is even close to as good as worst Japanese restaurant in Little Tokyo. I DO NOT understand how people like this place and line up for it. I left a $1 tip out of appreciation for the waitress replacing our rice. I will not be returning ever. read more

REAL RATING: 4.5 stars Taiko isn't your typical Irvine or Orange County Japanese restaurant and it's been around even before the sushi boom over a decade ago. This awesome joint has been a staple in Irvine for, I think, almost two decades. If you think they specialize in sushi, think again. Don't get me wrong, they have a great offering of sushi, rolls and sashimi. However, it's their portions that separate themselves from the competition - great quality food and lots of it! I grew up in Irvine and my parents still live there. The crazy part is that the decor hasn't changed since I first went there when I was a kid, but don't let that comment fool you. The interior design has held up very well with time. You won't feel like it's outdated at any point of your dining experience. SERVICE: This is one of the strongest things about Taiko. I've never, and I mean never, had an issue with any of the hosts and/or servers. They're always polite, focused on my needs and quick to bring anything I need. They really do an excellent job making their customers happy. A+ in this category for sure. CALAMARI ~ 5 stars ~ $6.00: This isn't your typical Italian calamari. Taiko's take is light and very refreshing. The squid is deep friend in a very light tempura batter and it doesn't feel greasy and/or oily. The calamari sits on a bed of thinly sliced cucumbers and onions (and I'm talking about THINLY sliced) and a small pool of delicious ponzu sauce. Splash it with some lemon juice, mix it all together and you get a calamari appetizer to kill for. COMBINATION DINNER PLATES: Ok, this is where things get interesting. Taiko dedicates a whole page in their menu to their combination dinner plates, and for good reason. This is why you go to Taiko - to indulge in one of their awesome combos. Plates range from $16.50 to $17.25. I've had the awesome opportunity to try all kinds of stuff but the best one, in my opinion, is Combi 1 (yes, they spell it "combi" with an "i"). For $16.50 you get a HUGE plate consisting of beef teriyaki, shrimp and vegetable tempura and sesame chicken. There's also a basic salad on the plate and you get a bowl of white rice and miso soup. Look, if you decide to get any other combo, my only tip is to get one that has sesame chicken - it's friggin LEGIT! Don't sell yourself short, make sure to get their sesame chicken! The combo plates are literally 12" in diameter - really big plates. I didn't take any pictures the last time I was at Taiko but another user posted an awesome pic of Combi 1 here : http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/taiko-japanese-restaurant-irvine?select=o_m0vlrkGYcDwkb2uBTV2w#xUMaZky9Fr5vJLNJFRP_ZA I LOVE Taiko and so does my family. Whenever we get together and decide on a place to eat, Taiko is usually on the top of the list. It's a great place to grab a bite. FYI, Taiko doesn't accept reservations so be prepared to wait 30-60 minutes during peak hours. It would be wise for you to show up right when it opens for dinner at 5pm every night. Taiko means "drum" in Japanese and man, I love eating to the beat of it. read more

Taiko - Combi #8: Sesame Chicken, Shrimp and Veggie Tempura and Broiled Tuna Teriyaki Steak - Japanese Near Me - Irvine, California

Not like a box of chocolates. You always know what you're going to get. The thing with Taiko, and why it holds such allure to the many who are willing spend up to 60 minutes of their lives waiting for a table, is that there are no surprises. The sushi is good, the service friendly and efficient, and the other Japanese fare is ok - nothing spectacular; but I believe very few restaurants can consistently churn out good food and offer good service like Taiko. In fact, you almost get a sense of de ja vu when you eat there - same food, same service, same reasonable prices. If you're looking for superb Japanese cuisine, Taiko is not the place for you. But if you're looking for comfortable familiarity - like your favorite 20 year old pair of PJs - Taiko is the place. Now if only they accept reservations for parties less than 10. read more

I have been here with my friends many times, this was where I first had real sushi, everything was super fresh and melting in your mouth! I normally sat at the table, it's took awhile to get your order in and your foods I have to say that is one downside but other than that the sushi are so fresh and delicious! I finally experienced the sushi bar yesterday it was super fun! I will definitely be back here again no questions about it! read more

Found at one of the fob centers of Irvine, Taiko is a hopping restaurant that is always bustling. There's always a wait and reservations are a hassle. I called one day to make lunch reservations and they had two stipulations: 1) party must be 8 people or more, and 2) only at 11:30AM. I can't imagine what dinner reservations are like. This is where I find the ever-elusive sukiyaki, which they serve up in a large portion. It comes with beef, glass noodles, green onions, mushroom (yes, one mushroom), tofu, and probably some more stuff that I forgot. This isn't the best sukiyaki I've ever had but it's very affordable at $10. Another plus is that it's very close to Kitty House! I find service to be the downside. It's so hard to hail down a waitress and they hardly come check up on you during your meal. read more

Taiko is located in the city of Irvine in a strip mall with several places to eat. Out of all the restaurants here, Taiko seems the most popular. This Japanese restaurant is usually packed on the weekends. Expect to wait at least 30 minutes. On week nights, the wait is about 10-15 minutes. I usually get the beef teriyaki combo which includes deep fried chicken with a sweet flavor, shrimp tempura, salad, miso soup, and green beans with dressing. Their tempura is pretty tasty. The batter they use is delicious and fried to a perfect crisp. This combo usually goes for about $15 which I think is pretty decent. The portions are pretty big and you'll have enough for left overs. The service is average. Don't expect to have a conversation or get any details about your food from your server. Our server probably only spoke to us once and it was to take our order. read more

I've been here before a few years back and I don't remember writing a review. Now that I've returned and experienced what Taiko has become, I'm inclined to say that I should have left well enough alone. A couple years ago, I remember visiting Taiko and being wow'd by their menu and service. Last night, we came in for a last minute late night dinner. Service was RUDE and very abrupt...almost condescending. The food was so-so but the smell and feel of oil from the fryer was disturbingly heavy on our clothes when we left. I felt as though I was covered in the stuff and I had to throw all my clothes in the wash ASAP. Tuna sashimi was generous in portion and firm in texture, though the freshness was questionable. When I asked our waitress what fish were fresh, she said they all were. Uh huh. Then why did the tuna have a fishy smell and taste? I also asked what fish were delivered that day. She seemed irritated and said, "I have to ask" and she stormed off. Then returned shortly and said that they have deliveries every morning.....YEAH BUT WHAT DID YOU GET TODAY???????????? Eff. I played it safe and avoided ordering anything other than tuna. If you screw up tuna, I question everything else. If memory serves me correctly, my last visit resulted in many referrals. After last night, I'd deter people from coming. Sesame chicken is fried and dry. Don't get it. Very generous portions but I couldn't get past a couple pieces. Beef teriyaki was cooked to order (VERY rare), but the quality of the meat was so poor that it was almost impossible to chew despite the fact that it was rare. The pieces are also slivered for you but they are too large for bite-size, and yet they don't give you a knife. Salmon teriyaki was reported to be good, but too small a portion. "Salad" served with your entree is just a sloppy toss of iceberg lettuce and some really, REALLY DISGUSTING sesame mayonnaise goo that congeals on your plate over a few pieces of cold green beans that tasted as though they were from a can. Agedashi tofu was good. I was surprised and very pleased. Tea is bland despite a 20+ minute steeping. This place may be cheap, but it's not worth the food, the service, or the 300+ reviews. read more

I have been a loyal patron of Taiko for about a decade now. First off, it is important to note, this review is strictly for the SUSHI BAR. The quality of sushi and food in the restaurant seating is not as good as the bar, and this is because of the lovely sushi chefs at the bar. Shout outs to: Ono san, Suzuki san, and Aiko san. EVERY cut roll, hand roll, or special is of the best quality, fresh fish used, and made authentically. I am a sushi buff, and out of the many many sushi places I have eaten in LA and OC, Taiko trumps all of them by far. This is a great place for you to impress your friends with your food sense or to have a fun date. The miso is also really fresh and tastes like miso soup is supposed to taste. Also fresh ginger and very fresh wasabi (none of that dry tasteless crap at the cheapo sushi places) I am personally in love with the melt in your mouth eel and avocado on california cut roll. I could eat it every day. The ninja and crunchy hand rolls are also amazing. Fish nugget, sushi salad, baked clam, and just about everything else is worth ordering. They use real crab in their california crab meat, and sometimes mix in imitation to make the texture smoother. Something that may be a little disconcerting is the wait time for the bar. My suggestion, WAIT IT OUT. Don't give in to the restaurant seating. The bar wait could be anywhere from immediate seating to 3 hours. And you can't call in to reserve. But it is worth every minute. Prices are average to a little pricey depending on what you are getting, but compared to other places, you get a good portion for what you pay for and the quality can't be beat, so its worth every penny. Parking is also great, service is great, Taiko is great. read more

If you love grease and deep fried everything, then this is the place for you. My boyfriend and I ordered: sesame chicken, salmon teriyaki, dynamite roll, and ninja roll. Let's start out with the service. We waited about 10 minutes before anyone came to our table. Wishing we had just left. When we told the waitress we didn't like the sesame chicken, which was evident since we only ate 2 pieces out of the entire grease pile, she seemed pretty offended! Didn't offer to take it off our bill, or at least ask if we wanted to try something else. And ignored us after! The sesame chicken was so greasy I felt nauseous after eating. Also, it's the fatty part of the chicken, so that didn't help. The salmon teriyaki was also really greasy, and they served it with mayo! So disgusting! You could barely taste the teriyaki sauce too. I pretty much just ate the veggies and called it a day. As far as the sushi rolls go, I didn't taste them, so I can't really put much opinion in there. However, my boyfriend who loves sushi wasn't impressed. I don't understand how this place got 4 stars, but I'm assuming it's from people who like really authentic greasy food? Who knows! read more

Place was pretty good, i think my friend hyped it up too much for me but he absolutely loves this place. Prices are very good though for what you get so I was happy with that. Service is pretty good and you can tell by how many people were there that a lot of people like this place. I'm not a huge fan of Japanese food nor am i pro at it so i can't give a fair judgment as to the quality of the sashimi but all i can say is that everything I had was pretty darn good! read more

Good service, good food with a variety of choices of cooked food and nigiri, portions are large. Worth the wait in line.

I've been here twice in the past 2 years, and always got sushi. The sushi was always ok, nothing spectacular. Service was pretty slow, though, but probably because I always went during their busy times. Parking in this center is always a mess, so I try to park towards the sides or the back, and just walk to the restaurant. There also is a long wait if you come during primetime. I was lucky the last time I went and was seated promptly, close to 6pm on a weekday. But it filled up pretty quick. So all in all, the sushi was enjoyable, I'd come back if someone I was with wanted some sushi. I'd recommend this place to anyone in the area that wants enjoyable sushi at a decent price! Tip: Long wait times if you come during primetime, so try and come as early as you can. You would also beat the traffic/parking rush too, so win-win! read more

Finally came here after hearing so many raving reviews from friends. It didn't disappoint. Only down side was after $40 I was still hungry... mind you I'm a little asian female that only weighs 115lbs. read more

There's always millions of people in line here.. so we never want to wait.. but one day we finally did for lunch. I had the sushi lunch special and my bf had the sashimi lunch special. Miso soup was good. Sushi lunch - assorted fish, GROSS!! They were not good quality AND the presentation looked like they just threw the meat on the rice. AND it came out of the back SO quick they much have had it all pre made. Sashimi lunch - assorted fish, also gross, the quailty was NOT good at all and the presentation was also messy. Some parts of the fish were slimy, some parts were different colored, it just looked really bad. VERDICT - THE WORST sushi i've ever had. Maybe we at the wrong thing? The sesame chicken at the next table had good portions and looked good. Cheap food, bad quality sushi, chicken looked good. Will never come back but if I do for some reason I'd get something thats NOT sushi. read more

I love their salmon!!!! I am so picky with salmon and I am in love with their salmon. I cannot emphasize that enough. I also got their miso butter fish and sesame chicken. That's all I needed :) I can't wait to return. The service isn't spectacular but the food was worth it (as well as the 45 minute wait). I didn't like my bf's lobster tempura platter. The beef skewers were dry and lobster should not be deep fried lol read more

I'm giving this place 2 stars because I felt EXTREMELY sick after eating here the last time I was here. I was bed ridden for a day. I ordered a simple tuna roll, which I usually order at every sushi restaurant I go to because it had always been my childhood favorite. I think I also got a miso soup and side salad, but I'm sure it was the lack of freshness of the fish that had to do with the ailment. The reason why I'm NOT giving it one star is because it was pretty decent the other times I've been here. So on any given day it would be 3 or 3.5. I wouldnt call this place spectacular. I should know since I am Japanese and I've had my share of good sushi and good Japanese food in Japan. This place caters to the American audience with big portion sizes for certain dishes and like the teriyaki chicken plate is dumped with teriyaki sauce in excess. Not very elegant when Japanese food is all about aesthetics and minimalism. My preference is for authentic Japanese and sushi restaurants so I am sorry if it sounds like I'm nitpicking. But if you want my honest opinion then well this is it! read more

Came here for dinner. Ordered 1. Seafood salad: Portion is great for the price, but the fish is average. 2. Lobster combo with tempura: tempura coating too thick and heavy. Lobster only has a strong Mac n cheese flavor. You don't taste the lobster, so I think lobster is not good. Beef is too chewy and is not flavored well. Not worth the wait and the price (lobster combo is 25$) read more

We were looking for a place for good sushi and we chanced upon Taiko. Given the great reviews on yelp, we were eager to taste this seeming phenomenon...Only to be disappointed in the end. Here are the reasons why : 1. THE WAIT - We were 6 people and we waited for 1 hour and 45 minutes for a table. Although maybe because its a weekend, it was still quite a wait. 2. THE FOOD - The food portions of the combos were great, they were actually massive. However, the taste was lacking. The sesame chicken was bland, the tempura was average and the beef (which I had) was lacking in seasoning...Plus half of the plate was just lettuce, not really protein or carb, but that was okay by me...At least a little vegetable with the meal. But should not be called out as a "big serving" if this was the case. 3. TOO MANY PEOPLE - Do not go here on weekends if your were looking for an intimate dining experience. It was noisy and crowded and it felt like I was in a hawker market because of the volume of people. THE SAVING GRACE SERVICE - Service was fast and efficient and server was quite pleasant Would not go back. Will go here only if I was extremely hungry and this is the only place I could eat that was close by. read more

My first time here for lunch. I was so excited when I saw the stellar reviews on yelp, and even more excited when I held the menu in my hands, perusing their cheap combo prices. This was too good to be true! This kind of pricing for a Japanese restaurant in Irvine? Geez.. where have I been all these years.. Then the food came... WOW... talk about a buzz kill. The quality of the food was really so mediocre that the prices now looked expensive in retrospect. I sank my teeth into the huge shrimp tempura, and chewed on batter for the most part of my shrimp tempura experience. Then I was treated to a piece of gristly salmon sashimi... and washed it down with some unmemorable miso soup. Don't even get me started on the sesame chicken... it tasted like it was just scooped out of the buffet table, after sitting next to the orange chicken for a day. What I am trying to say here folks is, don't be tricked by the long lines and yelp reviews. It's a very underwhelming restaurant, bordering on the bad. read more

I miss my grandma! Our server who wasn't wearing server clothes seemed a bit older. She was so so sweet to me & my guest. She truly made me give my grandma a call. She was very kind and hard working & I loved it so much! I felt like family here! The sushi chefs also smiled and talked to me before we left! Everyone is so hard working and incredible here. The young girl behind my booth was talking to me very sweetly about her baby brother, and diagonal from her was a birthday party. This place has a great sushi smell as well as a loving, sophisticated, atmosphere! The food actually surpassed my expectations. Usually, I have low expectations for sushi in Southern California, however, the fresh fish contained a paramount amount of flavor. The color is just right; there were very interesting textures in the SPICY TUNA ROLL - similar to a masago pop. They also add details such as hints of green onion & the normal spicy tuna and well as fresh chunks of tuna. I usually despise rice and don't eat most of it in my sushi... but wow they give you a great ratio here. AND the rice is pretty darn vinegar-y (aka good)! It was sticky and delicious rather than plain and disgusting. Gee, I love you guys! Thank you so much. See you guys soon & have a blessed life :) no pictures this time because I REAlly enjoyed every moment here. read more

The sushi here is ok....I have to admit, I only tried it twice and nothing jumped out at me either time. No favorites =( This place is a little overrated and I would probably never wait in that long long line ever again. read more

Taiko is the first sushi bar I went to (oh about 30+ years ago), and I had never eaten raw fish before. The Kirin-Ichiban and cold or hot sake helped me get into it, and before long i was completely addicted to sushi. I've always come to Taiko over the last 30 years for special occasions, maybe twice a year, but since I've been working in Irvine, I've been coming here once or twice a week. Sure, the ownership has changed,and a few things have changed, but I still order mixed sashimi, or seafood salad, and the cucumber special roll, and the baked Special #4. The karage chicken is the bomb, and i can't get enough of the spicy tuna rolls. The service is excellent, and on those rare occasions when you can get a spot at the sushi bar, it is fun to interact with the other patrons. I've met some really cool people there lately. Like Dr. Don & his wife, a persian girl named Masa, and a beautiful Korean girl named Jenny. I love this place..... I think I might go there today!!! read more

Very mediocre. Ordered take-out and all Japanese restaurants give small to-go containers of miso soup, not this place! Fine, I let it be and continued to place my order. I asked if they had chicken katsu, the lady on the phone said no, but they had tonkatsu (pork cutlet). Chicken katsu is very simple to make, couldn't they have breaded a chicken breast and fried it in place of pork? Whatever. So I placed an order for the infamous sesame chicken. There was a recent review stating it was the "best sesame chicken ever," they apparently have never had any other sesame chicken because anything would have been better than what I had. It was dark meat chicken rolled in flavored corn starch (I think) then deep fried but the skin was left on so I was left with a chewy soy sauce flavored chicken. My husband ordered the chicken teriyaki plate with white meat only. He said it was okay. Think grilled breasts and a teeny tiny container of watery teriyaki sauce. It probably could have been better had the sauce been thicker or there were more than just one container. Food was okay, certainly nothing to rave about. If I want better sesame chicken, I'll make it myself! If I want grilled chicken breast with a side of sugar and soy sauce, I'll make it myself also. I'm definitely disappointed. Return rating: highly unlikely read more